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Internal combustion engine having a secondary air pumpRelated Patent Categories: Power Plants, Internal Combustion Engine With Treatment Or Handling Of Exhaust Gas, By Means Producing A Chemical Reaction Of A Component Of The Exhaust Gas, Condition Responsive Control Of Reactor Feed, Pressure, Or By-pass, Air Feed To Reactor Modulated Or Diverted By ControlInternal combustion engine having a secondary air pump description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070251219, Internal combustion engine having a secondary air pump. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application claims the priority, under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119, of German application DE 10 2006 018 200.6, filed Apr. 19, 2006; the prior application is herewith incorporated by reference in its entirety. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The invention relates to an internal combustion engine having an exhaust-gas system which has at least two exhaust-gas flow configurations, which are at least partly separated from one another and which in each case have at least one catalytic converter, and the internal combustion engine having at least one secondary air pump which is connected upstream of the catalytic converters, via at least one secondary air valve, to the exhaust-gas system of the internal combustion engine. [0004] For future diagnostic requirements for internal combustion engines it is necessary to check the functionality of secondary air systems individually for exhaust-gas groups during the operation of the engine. Usually several exhaust-gas groups, which are in each case characterized by a common catalytic converter, are jointly supplied with secondary air. An individual diagnosis of the exhaust-gas groups is only ensured by providing separate systems or by providing systems that can be separated by switchable valves. [0005] German Patent Application Publication DE 100 65 963 A1 discloses a supply of secondary air to the exhaust-gas of individual cylinders of an internal combustion engine with at least two exhaust-gas lines which are partly separated from one another. A secondary air pump is connected to the separated exhaust-gas lines via separately controllable valves. In one operating state the controllable valve for an exhaust-gas line is closed and the controllable valve for another exhaust-gas line is open such that only the exhaust-gas of one cylinder group is supplied with secondary air. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0006] It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an internal combustion engine which is improved with respect to the secondary air-supply and with respect to a monitoring function (on-board diagnosis, OBD). [0007] With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, an internal combustion engine, including: [0008] an exhaust-gas system including n>1 exhaust-gas flow configurations, n being an integer, the exhaust-gas flow configurations being at least partly separated from one another, the exhaust-gas flow configurations each including at least one catalytic converter; [0009] a secondary air supply system including at least one secondary air pump and at least one secondary air valve; and [0010] the at least one secondary air pump being connected, via the at least one secondary air valve, to at most n-1 of the exhaust-gas flow configurations upstream of the at least one catalytic converter of the at most n-1 of the exhaust-gas flow configurations, and remaining ones of the exhaust-gas flow configurations being separated from the secondary air supply system. [0011] In accordance with another feature of the invention, the internal combustion engine has working cylinders with respective outlets; each of the exhaust-gas flow configurations includes m>1 exhaust-gas pipes, m being an integer; the exhaust-gas pipes of the exhaust-gas flow configurations are connected to respective ones of the outlets of the working cylinders; the exhaust-gas pipes of each respective one of the exhaust-gas flow configurations merge with one another upstream of the at least one catalytic converter of each respective one of the exhaust-gas flow configurations and form a respective single exhaust-gas pipe; and each of the at most n-1 of the exhaust-gas flow configurations connected to the at least one secondary air pump is connected, with at least one of the m>1 exhaust-gas pipes, to the at least one secondary air pump. [0012] In accordance with a further feature of the invention, each of the at most n-1 of the exhaust-gas flow configurations connected to the at least one secondary air pump is connected, with all of the m>1 exhaust-gas pipes, to the at least one secondary air pump. [0013] In other words, according to the invention, there is provided, an internal combustion engine with an exhaust-gas system, which has at least n>1 exhaust-gas flow configurations which are at least partly separated from one another and which in each case have at least one catalytic converter, wherein n is an integer, and with at least one secondary air pump which is connected upstream of the catalytic converters, via at least one secondary air valve, to the exhaust-gas system of the internal combustion engine, wherein the at least one secondary air pump is connected, via the at least one secondary air valve, to at most n-1 or fewer exhaust-gas flow configurations and wherein the remaining exhaust-gas flow configurations are separated from a secondary air supply. [0014] This has the advantage that in case of exhaust-gas systems with multiple exhaust-gas flow configuration the structural complexity and the monitoring expenditure for the on-board diagnosis (OBD) for the supply of secondary air is reduced. The secondary air pump(s) is/are selectively connected, via the secondary air valve(s), to at most n-1 or fewer exhaust-gas flow configurations. The remaining exhaust-gas flow configuration(s) is/are in no way and at no point in time of the operation of the internal combustion engine supplied with secondary air. [0015] In accordance with a preferred embodiment, each of the exhaust-gas flow configurations includes m>1 exhaust-gas pipes, m being an integer, which are in each case connected to an outlet of a working cylinder of the internal combustion engine and which merge, upstream of the catalytic converter of this exhaust-gas flow configuration, with one another into a single exhaust-gas pipe, wherein, in case of each such exhaust-gas flow configuration which is connected to the secondary air pump, the secondary air pump is connected to at least one exhaust-gas pipe and in particular to all m exhaust-gas pipes. [0016] Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims. [0017] Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in an internal combustion engine having a secondary air pump, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims. [0018] The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0019] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a first preferred embodiment of an internal combustion engine in accordance with the invention; and [0020] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a second preferred embodiment of an internal combustion engine in accordance with the invention. 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